TL;DR
Florida law allows short-term medical plans with initial terms under 12 months and total duration, including renewals, up to 36 months. A 2024 federal rule capped these plans at four months, but the federal government stopped enforcing it in August 2025, so the Florida limit governs today while new federal rulemaking is pending. Short-term plans are cheap because they exclude pre-existing conditions, skip the essential health benefits, and can decline you. They are a bridge for a gap with an end date, not a substitute for a year of real coverage.
Short-term medical plans are the most misunderstood lane in Florida. Half the internet treats them as junk, the other half sells them as if they were real health insurance at a discount. Both are wrong. Here is what the plans are, what the rules are right now, and how a healthy self-employed Floridian should think about them.
What Florida law allows
Quick answer: Florida statute allows short-term health insurance with initial terms of less than 12 months and a total duration, including renewals, of up to 36 months. As of early 2026, at least six insurers were selling short-term plans in the state, some with the full 36-month runway.
That is a long bridge. Combined with year-round availability and an application that takes minutes, it explains why these plans get pitched so aggressively during open enrollment. The pitch leaves out the part that matters, which is what the plan does not cover.
The federal cap and why it is not being enforced
In September 2024, a federal rule limited new short-term plans to an initial term of three months and a total of four months including renewals. In August 2025, the federal government announced it would not prioritize enforcement of that rule, which put the effective maximum in Florida back at 36 months. New federal rulemaking on short-term plans appeared on the regulatory agenda in 2026 and could change the limit again. If you buy a multi-year short-term plan, understand that the rules around it can move while you hold it.
What a short-term plan will not do
Quick answer: Short-term plans are not ACA-compliant. They generally exclude pre-existing conditions, do not have to cover the ten essential health benefits, often cap benefits, can decline you at application, and cannot be paid for with a premium tax credit. They are cheap because of those gaps, not in spite of them.
- Pre-existing conditions. Usually excluded outright, or covered only after a long waiting period on some multi-year products. Anything you were treated for before the plan started is the first thing the claims department looks for.
- Maternity, mental health, prescriptions. Vary widely by carrier, from limited to absent. Read the schedule of benefits, not the brochure.
- Benefit caps. Per-period or lifetime maximums are common. A serious hospitalization can exhaust a low cap.
- Renewal at the carrier's discretion. On some plans, a claim during one term can affect renewal into the next. Multi-term products that guarantee the later terms at issue avoid that particular problem.
The apply-once, three-term version
The design worth knowing about in Florida is the multi-term plan. UnitedHealthcare's TriTerm Medical, underwritten by Golden Rule Insurance Company, is available in Florida and Texas and is issued as three consecutive terms with a single application, for nearly 36 months of total coverage. It covers preventive care, office visits, and prescriptions on most plans, carries a $2 million lifetime maximum per person on most plans, and covers eligible pre-existing conditions after 12 months on the plan. It is still a short-term product with underwriting and exclusions, and it is still not ACA-compliant, but the guaranteed second and third terms fix the renewal problem that makes month-to-month short-term plans fragile.
Who it fits and who it does not
Six things to check before you sign
- The pre-existing condition definition and the look-back period. Twelve to 24 months is common.
- Whether later terms are guaranteed or subject to re-underwriting.
- Per-cause and lifetime maximums.
- The network, and whether the hospital you would actually go to is in it.
- Prescription coverage, which ranges from decent to nothing.
- Your exit plan. Know which enrollment window or qualifying event moves you to permanent coverage, and calendar it.
We quote short-term plans when they solve a timing problem and say so when they do not. If you are healthy and above the credit line, an underwritten plan that is not built with an expiration date is usually the better long-term answer, and we will show you both. Start on our Florida self-employed page.
Key Takeaway
Florida lets short-term plans run up to 36 months and the federal cap is not being enforced, but the plans are cheap because of what they exclude. Use one to cross a gap with a known end date, read the pre-existing condition clause twice, and move to permanent coverage at the first window.
Questions Florida readers ask about this
How long can I keep a short-term health plan in Florida?
Florida allows initial terms under 12 months and a total duration, including renewals, of up to 36 months. The federal four-month cap adopted in 2024 has not been enforced since August 2025, so the state limit currently governs, though new federal rulemaking could change that.
Do short-term plans cover pre-existing conditions?
Generally no. Most exclude conditions you were treated for before the plan started. Some multi-year products cover eligible pre-existing conditions after 12 months on the plan, but the exclusion is the norm.
Can I use a premium tax credit on a short-term plan?
No. Short-term plans are not Marketplace plans and are not eligible for premium tax credits. If you qualify for a credit, a Marketplace plan will almost always cost less and cover more.
What is TriTerm Medical?
A short-term product from UnitedHealthcare, underwritten by Golden Rule Insurance Company and available in Florida and Texas, issued as three consecutive terms from one application for nearly 36 months of coverage. It is underwritten, has exclusions, and is not ACA-compliant.
Is a short-term plan a good replacement for an ACA plan for the whole year?
For a healthy person bridging a gap, it can be a reasonable stopgap. As a permanent replacement it is a poor fit because of the exclusions, caps, and renewal risk. A medically underwritten plan without an expiration date is usually the better long-term option for someone who can pass underwriting.
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